Icelandic Textile Guild board
The board of the Icelandic Textile Guild consists of five members.
Ingiríður (Inga) Óðinsdóttir, head of the board
Ásta Guðmundsdóttir
Helga Pálína Brynjólfsdóttir
Jóna Imsland
Olga Bergljót Þorleifsdóttir
The Textile Guild has met five times since the last annual meeting, which was held in May. The main focus this year for the board is the Textile studio, the new design magazine HA, and the work for the Museum of Design and Applied Art (Hönnunarsafn Íslands).
The Lodz textile exhibition
The Icelandic Textile Guild was asked to nominate two textile artists for the Lodz textile triennial. The artists that will represent Iceland in the exhibition this year are Ragnheiður Guðmundsdóttir and Hildur Ásgeirsdóttir Jónsson.
The Textile Studio
The studio of Textile Guild was formed about ten years ago. The association is continually working on making the studio a better place to work in. One of the things that are on the agenda is to get a paper making studio and to get a better printing table. Last year the focus was on the dying studio, which has been improved and is now better equipped for those who want to dye.
NTC meeting with the Textile Center
In the end of November Hrafnhildur was contacted by Melody Woodnut, an adviser with the Icelandic Textile Center, for information about NTA. They received all the information they needed and answers to their questions, and Hrafnhildur also recommended that the Textile Center join NTA. A meeting was planned in January, where Hrafnhildur met with Melody and had a very good two hour discussion with her. During the meeting Melody informed that they had decided to join NTA and preferably send a representative to Bergen, contingent on them receiving funding for the travel. Melody has now contacted us once again, this time about the pre-project research, which the Textile Center is planning and applying for Nordic funding for. The project is titled "The Textile Effect." Melody has asked Hrafnhildur to meet with NTA in Bergen on their behalf, if the director of the Textile Center will not make it.[/twocol_one_last]
The Museum of Design and Applied Art (Hönnunarsafn Íslands)
The Icelandic Textile Guild contacted The Museum of Design and Applied Art about five years ago and shortly after met with the director Harpa Þórsdóttir. During the meeting it was decided that a special textile department would be founded within the museum. The museum, which is situated in Garðabær, is only 10 years old and has not been able to collect older textiles. The Textile Guild, and its members, decided to celebrate the 30 year anniversary of the association by providing the new textile department of the museum with a collection of their catalogues, CV´s and other useful information about their art practices. The museum would also accept any donations of textile art and designs, but no-one is compelled to give the museum a gift. This would become the start of a collection of textiles at the museum. The Textile Guild has worked on this project since then, and will be handing over the gift to the museum in April.
HA – Magazine for Design and Architecture
In February last year, the first issue of the new magazine about design and architecture in Iceland was released. The magazine has been named, HA - Magazine for design and architecture. All associations that are members and the Design Center have committed to pay the cost of the newspaper the next two years. This is done in such a way that all paying members receive the new magazine subscription, free of charge. This is the beginning of second year of the magazine and the two year agreement, which will be re-evaluated in the beginning of next year. The magazine is published twice a year and it has been a success with the recipients.
The textile trip
The textile Guild has organized textile trips for its members on a regular basis. These trips are usually taken out into the countryside and have been both informative and interesting. Last years trip was in October and took us to the gymnasium in Mosfellsbær, where the sound-sculptures by Bryndís Bolladóttir have been permanently installed. Then we went to „Hespuhúsið“ which is run by Guðrún Bjarnadóttir, who dies Icelandic wool with plants. The next stop was at Ása Ólafsdóttir studio and gallery in Borgarfjörður, but she is a very well-known textile artist in Iceland. The trip was a big success and the very nice winter weather added to the overall experience.
New club members
Last year, two new members were accepted into the Textile Guild. They are: Herdís Tómasdóttir and Guðrún Elísa Ragnarsdóttir. We welcome them to the association.
February 2016
Icelandic NTC members
Hrafnhildur Sigurðardóttir and Ingiríður Óðinsdóttir
